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Patented Aug. 30, |898.

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APPARATUS FOR'EXAHINING THE EXACT4 SPHERICAL FURII 0F BALLS.

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STATES n HEINRICH MELTZER, or RATIBOR, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR EXAMINING THE EXACT SPHERICAL FORM 0F BALLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 610,071, dated August 30, 1898.

Application led December 16, 1896. Serial No. 615,920. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: .q

Be it known that l, HEINRICH MELTZER, a`

subject of the King of Prussia, residing at' Ratibor,in the Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Examining the Exact Spher` ical Form of Balls, of which the following is a specification.

In the manufacture of steel balls a considerable number of balls are found to be not of It is usual to neglect small inaccuracies in this respect, and for many purposes small inaccuracies up to 0.01 millimeter are not harmful; but a greater inaccuracy of diameter of a ball must certainly be noted, although it is very difficult to separate with certainty balls that are faulty in this respect. The cause of this is that a ball that isnot perfectly round has a very large number of equal diameters and that repeated measurements must be made in order to discover the fault. Heretofore the eX- amination of balls for these faults was effected in a very tedious and difficult manner.- namely, the balls were placed on a board and held against a strong light and then carefully examined along their surfaces upon which the light fell, with the object of ascertaining whether they were perfectly round. The board would then be repeatedly shaken, with the object of causing the balls to assume different positions, so as to bring fresh surfaces of the balls into the light. Itis obvious that for such examination an excellent eyesight is required in order to note even comparatively considerable differences and that the results vof examinations of large quantities by different persons have varied very widely. These difficulties and inaccuracies are completely obviated by theemployment for the purpose of examining balls with respect to their perfect roundness of the method which forms the subject of the presentinvention and which constitutes the principle of construction of the machine hereinafter described. 4 This method is based on the principle that a perfectly round ball when placed on a perfectly smooth inclined surface will, under similar circumstances, always roll down the same path. Consequently the balls are led onto smooth inclined surfaces permitting free escape of diverted bodies over the side edges 4and are allowed to roll down repeatedly over the same. Every perfectly round ball always maintains the direction imparted to it by a feeding device and will pass into the collecting-box provided at the lower end of the rolling-surface, whereas an im perfectly round ball in its rst, second, dac. passage along the rolling-surface will diverge from its direction and fall down on one side over the rather narrow rollingbars. By allowing the balls to roll down :repeatedly over the inclined rolling-surfaces the result will be that it is insured with a considerable degree of certainty that each time a different periphery of the ball will run along the rolling-surface, whereby a result is `obtained that is sufiiciently accurate for practical purposes.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a machine which may be employed for carrying out the method herein described.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a plan of themachine. Fig. illustrates a detail of the machine, and Fig. 5 is a Vdetail sectional view of the guide at the head of the incline on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Upon the standard A is arranged the ballreceptacle B, in the slotted bottom of which there is mounted a feed-wheel C, that is provided With holes c corresponding to the size of the balls, said Wheel Cbeing revolved by means of the wheelsX Y Z. Under the feedwheel C there is arranged a guide-channel D, with which connects the first rolling-bar E', having a perfectly smooth surface. This surface is connected by means of a semicircular arc-shaped part FQ which is also formed with a guide-groove f, With the next bar E2. The bar E2 is further connected to F2, F2 to E3, E3 to F3, F3 to E4, and F.4 to F4. These bars terminate in a box G, which is divided by a partition g into two compartments G and G2.

' The mode of operation of the machine is as follows: The balls fall first into the holes c r ofthe feed-wheel C .and are then brought by the latter onto the guide-channel l).l From there the balls roll over the bar E,`arcshaped y piece F', te., into the compartment G of the box G. This will, however, be the case only when the balls are perfectly round, because then they do not diverge from their straight path, and they always run along the center of IOC the rolling-bars. Now an imperfectly round ball, on the contrary, is deflected from its path, and since the bars E are but slightly wider than the diameter of the ball the ball will fall over the bars E down into the box G2. This operation may be repeated several times.

The machine is further provided with an apparatus which serves to indicate any obstruction or irregularity that may occur and also to indicate when the last ball is taken by the feed-wheel C. This is effected by means of a stud l-I, which projects into a hole c that has been left unoccupied in such cases, and thereby causes an alarm device to sound or ring.

The arrangement of apparatus herein described, Whicli may be variously modified, enables the balls to be examined very accurately in respect of the exactness of their sphericity, and the results thus produced are not dependent upon the judgment of the 0bserver, asis the case in the apparatus at present in use.

As heretofore stated, the inclined bars are but slightly wider than the diameter of the balls to be tested. ln the form of apparatus shown the angle of inclination of the bar is about four degrees, the length of the bar is about fteen times the circumference of the balls to be tested, and the width of the bar is about one and one-half times the diameter of the balls. While the bars should be much longer than the circumference of the balls to be tested and only very slightly wider than the diameter of the balls, yet I do not desire to be limited to the exact proportions herein set forth.

1. ln an apparatus for examining balls in respect to the exactness of their sphericity, the combination with a perfectly smooth and true inclined plane over which the balls are l allowed to roll, the said inclined plane permitting free escape of diverted bodies over its side edges the breadth of the said plane being but slightly greater than the diameter of the balls to be tested, of a guide at the head of the incline to start the balls in a given line on the inclined surface, and a collectingbox at the end of the inclined plane, substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for testing the sphericity of balls, the combination with a feed-wheel provided with peripheral holes, of a guidechannel to which the balls are conveyed by said feed-Wheel, smooth stepped inclined bars onto which the balls pass, the said bars being connected by arc-shaped guiding parts, the Width of the said bars being but slightly greater than the diameter of the balls to. be

tested, and the edges of said bars being undefended a receptacle located at the end of the bars, and a receptacle for the balls that fall over the sides of the bars, substantially as set forth.

3. An apparatus for testing the sphericity of balls, the apparatus having anarrow plane y and inclined surface Whereon the balls may roll, and which is adapted to permit the free escape of the balls over its side edges the width of the said inclined surface being slightly in excess of the diameter of the balls to be tested, and a guide at the head of the inclined surface, the guide serving to start the ball in a given line on the inclined surface, substantially asdescribed.

t. An apparatus for testing the sphericity of balls, comprising a receptacle for the balls, a feed-wheel mounted tc rotate in the said receptacle and provided with peripheral recesses, a guide-channel to which the balls are` delivered one by one from said feed-wheel, and a narrow incline plane onto which the balls are directed from the guide-channel, and which is adapted to permit the free escape of the balls over its side edges a collecting-box at the end of the incline plane, and collecting-boxes arranged to receive the balls that fall over the sides of the incline plane, `substantially as set forth.

5. An apparatus for testing the sphericity of balls, comprising a receptacle for the balls, a feed-wheel mounted to rotate in the lower part of said receptacle and provided with peripheral recesses, a guide-channel to which the balls are delivered one by one from said feed-wheel, and a series of narrow bars having a smooth inclined upper surface, the first of said bars being in line with the guide-channel, the said bars being inclined in opposite directions, and arc-shaped guides arranged to conduct the balls from one inclined bar to another, substantially as described.

6. An apparatus for testing the sphericity of balls, comprising a receptacle into which the balls are placed, a guide-channel into which the balls pass from the receptacle, and a series of bars having a smooth inclined upper surface, the first of said bars being inline with the guide-channel, the said bars being inclined in opposite directions, curved guides arranged to conduct the balls from one inclined bar to the other, a collecting-box arranged to receive the balls'that roll to the lower end of the inclined bars, and collectingboxes arranged to receive the balls that fall over the sides of the inclined bars, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed iny name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HEINRICH MELTZER.

Witnesses z EDUARD PEITZ, GUsTAv HLSMANN.

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